Storming the Capitol
Steve Bannon: Donald Trump’s ex-chief strategist should be tried
Steve Bannon is co-founder of the right-wing website Breitbart and, according to the commission of inquiry, played an important role in the storming of the US Capitol.
© Win McNamee / AFP
Former Trump adviser and right-wing populist Steve Bannon has been accused of obstructing Congress. Last year he initially refused to comply with a subpoena and release documents.
The former chief strategist of ex-US President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, will soon have to answer in court despite his concession in the dispute over a testimony before the investigative committee on the storming of the Capitol. According to US media reports, federal judge Carl Nichols on Monday (local time) rejected a request from Bannon’s lawyers to postpone the trial, which was scheduled to start on July 18. The judge said he saw “no reason” to delay the proceedings further.
Steve Bannon as “Key Figure in Capitol Storm”
Bannon will then face congressional obstruction charges. Last year, the 68-year-old right-wing populist ignored a summons from the parliamentary subcommittee on the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and also refused to hand over documents. He was then indicted in November for obstructing Congress.
Recently, however, the co-founder of the right-wing website Breitbart News made a U-turn: His lawyer said at the weekend that Bannon now wanted to testify before the panel. The committee of inquiry considers the right-wing populist to be a key figure in the storming of the Capitol and therefore a key witness.
After his defeat in the presidential election in November 2020, Trump pulled out all the stops to stay in power. Among other things, the Republican incumbent and those around him spread allegations of voter fraud that had not been proven.
The sad low point of the campaign was the storm of hundreds of radical Trump supporters on the Capitol when Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory was to be certified there. The riots that left five dead caused horror around the world. The Capitol Storming Committee of Inquiry is currently holding a series of public hearings to uncover what happened at the time.
Focus on extremist groups
The next hearing is scheduled for Tuesday (1:00 p.m. local time; 7:00 p.m. CEST). It is said to be about connections between Trump’s environment and the right-wing extremist groups Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. Both extremist groups were involved in the Capitol storm.
Among those scheduled to testify at the hearing is a former member of the Oath Keepers, Jason Van Tatenhove. Representative Zoe Lofgren of the Democratic Party told CNN that at the hearing the committee will “make the connections between these groups and those in government circles who tried to overturn the election”.